Gifts for the Coffee Snob Who Already Has Everything
They own the dripper, the kettle, and the scale that reads to a tenth of a gram. Four gifts that change a variable they have been ignoring instead of replacing gear they already chose on purpose.
Vietnamese Egg Coffee, Explained and Attempted
Cà phê trứng was invented in 1946 Hanoi because the city ran out of milk, and it outlived the shortage by eighty years. Here is where it came from, why it needs robusta and a phin, and what happened when we made it at home.
Fall Pumpkin Spice Ground Coffees, Tasted and Ranked
We bought four of the most popular pumpkin spice ground coffees on Amazon, brewed them all the same way, and ranked them. The winner is not the one we expected.
5 Coffees to Restock Your Pantry With Before Fall
Five reliable, widely available blends worth stocking before the gray mornings set in: Stumptown Holler Mountain, Counter Culture Big Trouble, Peet’s Major Dickason’s, Kicking Horse Kick Ass, and Intelligentsia Black Cat.
Why Sumatra Coffee Tastes Nothing Like the Rest of Indonesia
Sumatra is the odd one out in Indonesian coffee, and the reason is one processing step: giling basah, or wet hulling. Here is what it does to the bean, where “Mandheling” actually comes from, and two bags to brew side by side to taste the difference.
A Panama Geisha, Reviewed (and Why It Costs What It Costs)
A record Geisha lot sold for $13,700 a pound this year. I brewed a $40 bag from the Janson estate in Chiriquí to find out what the accessible end of the variety actually delivers — and whether it belongs in your rotation or just your bucket list.
A Digital Refractometer for Home Brewing: Way Overkill, or Actually Interesting?
A refractometer measures one number, costs more than most home grinders, and will not tell you whether your coffee tastes good. Here is the narrow case where it is still the most useful diagnostic on the counter.
Great Coffee You Can Find in Busan, South Korea
Busan built one of the world’s best coffee scenes without Seoul’s money or press — anchored by Momos, a 2019 World Barista Champion, and a city-wide commitment to light roasting. Here’s the scene, and the closest bag you can actually buy stateside.
Shade-Grown Coffee, Explained: Better for Birds, Better for Flavor?
“Shade-grown” is an unregulated claim any roaster can print on a bag. Here is what shade actually does to the bean, why the trees came down in the first place, and what a new 2026 study says about the bird conservation argument.
What to Look for in a Coffee Subscription Before You Sign Up
Most coffee subscriptions sell you on curation, but the variables that decide whether you drink great coffee are roast date, delivery cadence, and how hard it is to hit pause. Here are the four answers to get before you hand over a card number.